Satou Kashi no Dangan wa Uchinukenai is a manga series based on the novel Sugar Candy Bullets Can't Pierce Anything by Kazuki Sakuraba. The manga is illustrated by Iqura Sugimoto.

Nagisa Yamada is an aloof and anti-social middle school girl who lives in a nondescript rural town. After the death of her father caused her mother to struggle to make ends meet and her brother to withdraw from the world around him, Nagisa decided that things like high school and friendship meant little to her. Thus, she wants nothing more than to graduate middle school and enroll in the Self Defense Force, where she hopes to be able to shape her own destiny.

When a strange new girl by the name of Umino Mokuzu transfers in from Tokyo and declares that she is a "Mermaid", she quickly becomes the center of attention. Noticing that Nagisa is the only classmate that seems to have no interest in her, Umino quickly decides that they should become "precious friends". Despite Nagisa's objections, Umino begins to follow her wherever she goes.

How will Nagisa, who cares for nothing that is "not a bullet", deal with this eccentric girl who claims to need her friendship in order to survive? And what will she do if Umino's wild stories turn out to be true?

Nagisa: "Adults act like heroes but all they really want is to control us children."

Aloof Big Brother — Rather than resent Tomohiko for giving up his promising future and spending what little money the family has left on his Otaku interests, Nagisa and their mother think of him as modern-day Nobility.

Big Brother Mentor — Though he is often withdrawn and oblivious, Nagisa's brother displays moments of stunning insight when he gives her advice that cuts right to the heart of her problems.

Cassandra Truth — Nagisa doesn't believe Mokuzu when she tells her that her father killed her dog. Turns out she's not making this up for a change.

When Umino is killed by her father neither Nagisa's mom or her visiting teacher believe her, thinking Umino is just an eccentric liar who is playing a trick on her; in the novel she even visits the police but they don't believe her either. No one believe her until she and her brother go to the police after finding Umino's body in the mountains

Chekhov's Gun — The bottle that Mokuzu throws away in the first chapter makes another appearance in the very end.

Hikikomori — Tomohiko Yamada is described by his younger sister as "Beautiful, gentle natured, and shockingly intelligent... but at the same time, he's just as surprisingly useless." Once his father died, Tomohiko dropped out of school and hasn't set foot outside of his house in the three years since.

How We Got Here — The manga starts on the 4th of October with Nagisa telling us that she's searching for something in the mountains. Then the story takes us back to the 2nd of September. It's not until very late that we learn that what Nagisa is looking for is Mokuzu's corpse.

Ill Girl — In what she says are side effects of the witch's spell that made her human, Umino cannot walk without a painful limp, and must drink copious amounts of water before speaking or exerting herself. As it turns out her limping is actually the result of physical abuse by her own father. She's also deaf on one ear for the same reason, but since nobody knows about this everyone thinks she ignores them out of arrogance.

Kuudere — The protagonist puts forth an image of one who cares little for the people around her, however she is surprisingly gentle with her aloof older brother and the rabbits she tends to after school.

Not a Date — When Nagisa's friend Kanajima gets the nerve to ask Umino if she would like to go to the movies with them, she accepts... but only because she thinks of it as another opportunity to spend time with Nagisa.

Our Mermaids Are Different — According to Umino, mermaids can be transformed into humans by witches, in exchange for walking with an imperfect pair of legs and with the risk that they will turn into sea-foam and fade away if they don't find a "true friend" in one months time.

Tsundere — Transfer student Umino Mokuzu shows type B Tsundere tendencies, by throwing half-full water bottles and shouting "Go to hell!" at Nagisa... the one girl in school that Umino wants to become friends with.

Go Out with a Smile — Subverted. The last time Mokuzu is seen alive she's smiling serenely (her first real smile, according to Nagisa) but when her corpse is shown later her face looks timid and resigned, very much like when Kanajima was beating her up.

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